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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. saw — the tool
  3. stem — to come from
  4. bear — the animal
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. root — the cause
  10. track — a path
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. chest — a box
  13. root — of a plant
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bear — the animal
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. chest — of your body
  19. track — a song
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. chest — of your body
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bay — to keep at bay

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com